Michelle Trachtenberg hasn't had the most fashionable career: She spent her early days on Nickelodeon, then as a vampire before being a vampire was sexy and then finally on the Upper East Side as trouble bad girl Georgina Sparks. It's the latter role on Gossip Girl that finally got her sartorial juices flowing. So much so that she's even going to make a go at designing for her pal Rebecca Taylor—that's where we caught her front row.

ELLE:Gossip Girl is probably the most fashionable show on TV, have you learned a lot?MT: It really changed my style. It made me more bold. It made me confident about over-accessorizing, which they super do on the show. It's great when I can walk into a fitting with Eric [Daman], our costume designer, and know that everything is going to be amazing—with crazy shoes obviously! Eric's all about crazy shoes.

ELLE: Have you adopted some of your character's bad girl attitude too?
MT: I have my moments...sometimes I'll get into a fight with a cab driver.

ELLE: Why Rebecca Taylor's show?
MT: I'm really good friends with Rebecca. She and I are actually going to be doing a collaboration in the future. Probably a capsule collection. Not the near future because these things take time, but that's really exciting. I mean, she's the epitome of girly glam; she's sophisticated and romantic. It's pretty much the only thing you want to wear on a date.

ELLE: Is that the way you'd describe your style?
MT: I think I'm probably a little less girly and a little more tomboyish, but I try to keep a sophisticated element to it and rock it out here and there.

ELLE: What do you first remember really caring about fashion?
MT: I guess it was during my Buffy the Vampire Slayer days when I saw Sarah Michelle [Gellar] come to set always looking great even when it was just for rehearsal. And that's when I started to learn about fashion. And learned that yellow corduroy pants? Not a good idea.

ELLE: So what was your first big fashion investment?
MT: It was a Gucci bucket bag that my mom got me for my sixteenth birthday. You remember the ones that were really popular? That was my first big luxury item and then everything else I've had to work for.

ELLE: Do you every pull it out anymore?
MT: I don't and I remember the joy and excitement I had when I was 16...but I don't. It'll come back in style and it will be passed down to my daughter one day.